Thursday, December 25, 2008

Christmas Happenings





My mom sent me a box of decorations for my apartment. I never actually got a tree, and I have nothing tree like in or around my house. Now, many of my neighbors have put their strands of light out on their porch handrails and/or back decks. I decided that would not put my house in the Christmas spirit at all, so I decorated my living room lamp in place of a Christmas tree. I love it.


As far as my Christmas goes, it was entirely uneventful. I live in a college town, so the majority of our population left on December 17th to go home and celebrate with their families. Living over 2,000 miles away and being a starving college student, I thought it better to stick around and work instead. My boyfrind, my neighbors, and all of my friends have left for better things.

The day was not entirely lost. After cleaning the last of the mess in the kitchen left by my neighbors, my very messy yet lovable neighbors, I made the best cup of hot cocoa on the planet. I am running on limited resources with a time limit, because I am trying to use the food my neighbors left before it expires. I whipped the rest of the half-and-half left from their coffee, heated up the last of the milk in the fridge, mixed in both chocolate bars and powdered mix, blended in a few sprigs of fresh mint, added a dollop of whipped cream, and a small stream of chocolate syrup on top for effect. It was very rich, but incredibly delicious.



I spent the rest of the day baking a homemade feast fit for the greatest royalty. Most of my time was used in making a loaf of homemade white bread, which is worth the while. After getting that set up and ready to rise, I made a beef pot pie with whatever was left in the fridge: potatoes, carrots, celery, garlic, peas, and corn. It was so incredibly hearty, andd the crust turned out absolutely perfect. A few quick sides while those two baked: applesauce and stuffing. It was the best meal I have eaten in a while.



It was a lot of work for a single person meal, but I was so very pleased with it. I ate until I couldn't move. I called a few of my family members, and a few of them called me. I bragged about my resourceful cooking, and we chatted about life on opposite sides of the country. I had a tame Christmas, but it has been a relaxing holiday.

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